``The Veteran Problem''? The American WWII Veteran

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dc.contributor.authorMcDonald, Todd Allenen
dc.contributor.committeechairDull, Matthew Martinen
dc.contributor.committeememberHult, Karen M.en
dc.contributor.committeememberRoberts, Patrick S.en
dc.contributor.committeememberPencek, Bruce E.en
dc.contributor.departmentGovernment and International Affairsen
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-22T09:00:39Zen
dc.date.available2025-01-22T09:00:39Zen
dc.date.issued2025-01-21en
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of this paper is to analyze a specific dimension of the veteran policy discourse in academic and news articles published during the Second World War. I conduct a textual analysis and apply frame theory to structure my study of 45 academic articles taken from JSTOR and 314 news articles taken from ProQuest. My findings reveal three distinct frames that represent veterans themselves as a social problem and/or threat. One frame suggests that a mass influx of WWII veterans into the US economy would cause an economic catastrophe similar to the Great Depression in the 1930s. Another frame indicates that veterans have been indoctrinated into military life and that they had values and beliefs that were incompatible with American society and democracy. The third frame claims that policies which provide public benefits to veterans exclusively could create a privileged political class that could undermine democracy and meritocracy. My research adds value to current studies of American veterans by emphasizing the extreme fear that has character- ized elite political discourse on WWII veteran reintegration and how that discourse related to veteran policy proposals during that time.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralThe purpose of this paper is to analyze a specific dimension of the veteran policy discourse in academic and news articles published during the Second World War. I examine 45 academic articles taken from JSTOR and 314 news articles taken from ProQuest. My findings reveal three distinct arguments that represent veterans themselves as a social problem and/or threat. One argument suggests that a mass influx of WWII veterans into the US economy would cause an economic catastrophe similar to the Great Depression in the 1930s. Another argument indicates that veterans have been indoctrinated into military life and that they had values and beliefs that were incompatible with American society and democracy. The third argument claims that policies which provide public benefits to veterans exclusively could create a privileged political class that undermines democracy and meritocracy. My research adds value to current studies of American veterans by emphasizing the extreme fear that has characterized elite political discourse on WWII veteran reintegration and how that discourse related to veteran policy proposals during that time.en
dc.description.degreeDoctor of Philosophyen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:41743en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10919/124290en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectWWII veteransen
dc.subjectframingen
dc.subjectpostwaren
dc.subjectSecond World Waren
dc.subjectveteran policyen
dc.title``The Veteran Problem''? The American WWII Veteranen
dc.typeDissertationen
thesis.degree.disciplinePublic Administration/Public Affairsen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen

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